Emma Arubi
4 April 2008
NINETY- FOUR victims of the infamous Koko toxic waste dump recieved N39.7m compensation from the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, Warri, for injuries, pain and frustration suffered during the evacuation of the toxic dump after 21years of hardship
Presenting the cheques to the beneficiaries who were staff of the Warri Ports through their counsel, the General Manager, NPA Eastern Zone, Mr. S. Inyeinegi-Etomi said though the compensation can never be enough, it represents the "Port's demonstration of its corporate social responsibility to those who risked their lives through evacuating the infamous toxic waste in Koko Port," in Warri North Council Area of Delta State.
He stated that though some ex-gratia payments were made to those involved in 1992, some of the staff still went to court, noting that after a protracted legal battle, they decided to settle out of court and that cheques being handed over to the beneficiaries were a product of the agreement reached by counsel to both parties.
Eighty-seven of the affected former staff would receive N400,000.00 each while seven officers affected would go home with N700,000.00 each.
Mr. Inyeinegi-Etomi said the gesture will help cushion the effect of the pains suffered and urged them to put the money into judicious use.
It would be recalled that in July 1988 a vessel, MV Baruluk carrying 561 containers of toxic waste dump berthed at the Koko port and discharged its cargo at the Nana family compound, an incident that caused great embarrassment to the nation's maritime sector and the international community.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 Vanguard. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
